Knitted hose



J. COURY 1,791,235

METHOD FOR PRODUCING KNITTED HOSE, STOCKINGS, AND THE LIKE Feb'. 3,

Filed Sept. 26. 1928 I Patented Feb. 3, i931 I diminu i. e. as

I umren srmss PATENT o Fien Josnrn cover, or PARIS, rnnncn,

ASESTGNOI-t TO THE SGOIETY MANUFACTURE DE- BONNETERIE'DE LARGONNE, or VIENNE LE CHATEAU, FRANCE 1 METHOD FOR PRODUCING KNITTED EUSE,

STOCKINGS, AND THE LIKE Application filed September 26, 1928, Serial No. 308,852, and in France March 13, 1928.

The present invention relates to improved methods for producing knitted hose, stockings and the like, and to the article so produced. 1

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a simplified method for forming a stocking having a sea-mless'leg portion and a formed foot port1on resembling very closely what is termed in the French trade as having a form which fits the foot and leg.

Other objects will appear in the course of thedetailed description now to be given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 represents, in perspective, a stocking at the first stage of the manufacturing operation;

Fig. 2 is a perspective, showing a second stage; and r Fig. 3 a perspective ofthe finished article.

Fig. i represents one stage in the manufacturing operation.

The complete stocking is formed in the following series of operations.

The leg portion 1 and reenforced heel 2 are first formed in a circular machine in the same manner as stockings of the so-called standard circular type, the knitting opera.- tion being extended so as to provide a short instep portion 3. That is, the leg 1 is knit as a tubular portion until the heel is reached. The needles on one side of the machine are then thrown out of action, and a semicylindrical heel portion 2, 3 is then knit, while the instepportion is not knit. The semicylindrical portion is then drawn down andon its edges 9 and on the edge 3a of the unknit tubular portion a short cylindrical portion 3, 8c is knit. The parts 2, 3 thus form loops 5, as shown in Fig. 1. The stocking is then taken out of the circular machine and slit longitudinally along the wales at two lines a at the lateral extremities of the reinforced portion substantially as shown in the drawing, up to openings 5 .of the pocket or curved portion of the heel. "The rear. part of the stocking and the heel are then slit along a line 6 for a distance of approximately 20 centimeters corresponding to the heel plus the ing of line 6 may be and heel, "(2) to then turn hitherto been necessary, thereof i. e. the entire leg and heel may be ankle so that segments 2 and 3 on each side of line 6 are symmetrical. If desired, a tracformed in the stocking during its formation by one of the needles of the circular machine in a manner obvious to those skilled in the art. The stocking, with slits 4t and 6 formed therein, is then mounted in any standard type of flat rectilinear machine so that the rear edge 3a ofportion 3 and selvage edges 8 are supported in the same straight .line (Fig. 4) on a line of needles. The instep portion 3 and preferably the portions 8a of the heel. portion are unravelled and discarded. The first course of the foot is then drawn through the loops of the selvage 8 of the semicylindrical port-ion and of the edge 3a of the tubular portion. The developed foot portion tapering to a point, is then knitted in a manner which will be obvious to those skilled in the art. To complete the stocking it suflices only (1) to trim the toe the knitted foot portion under so that the free ed es lie along the center-line of the sole and 3) to stitch the sole along line 7 and the heel and ankle along lines 6 and 1. The finished stocking instead of having the non-fitting section of.

entirely in a rectilinear machine. The stitching operation along line 6 may be continued upwardalong the rear seam-line of the leg to remove any suspicion of the articles having been formedin a circular machine.

From the foregoing it will be seen that instead of producing a formed stocking completely in a fiat rectilinear machine as has the greater part knitted in a circular machine, thus effecting a very considerable saving in the cost of manufacture without any sacrifice in the attractiveness or form of the finished article.

What I claim is The improvement in the; art of knitting fashioned hosiery, which consists in first knitting the leg as a continuous tubular web, then knitting a semicylindrical heel portion without knitting an instep portion, then knitting a short cylindrical portion whereby said seniicylindrioal portion forms a loop, cutting said short cylindrical portion on each side along the Wales to open said loop slitting the stocking along the back of the heel portion then discarding the instep part of said short cylindrical portion and knitting the foot as a flat Web, the first course 01" Which is drawn through the selvage loops of the seinicylindical portion and the last loops of that portion of the tubular Web portion to which the seinicylindrical portion is not attaohed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOSEPH COURY. 

